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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. H. LOMMER. PORTABLE DAM FOR. REGULATING CHANNELS AND BANKS.

110.414,913. Patented Nov. 12,1889]` d INVENTOR WITNESSES 2 A Mwd N.Pcrzws, Pnwumgmphu. wasmngmn, ofc.

(NoModeL). v 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

- G. H. LOMMER.

PORTABLE DAM POR REGULATING CHANNELS AND BANKS. No. 414,913.

Patented NOV. 12, 1889.

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ATTRNEYS.

WITNBssBs N. PUERS, Pham-lithograph, wnhingmn, a c.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

A (NoModeLj' G. H. LOMMER. PORTABLE DAM POR REGULATING CHANNELS ANDBANKS.

Patented Nov. 12, 18891 WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

eUs'rAv HERMAN LOMMER, OE OAIRO, ILLINOIS.

PORTABLE DAM FQR REGULATINGICHANNELS AND BANKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 414,913, dated November12, 1889.

Application filed August 17, 1889. Serial No. 321,165. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GrusrAvY HERMAN LOM- MER, of Cairo, in the county ofAlexander and State of Illinois, have'inventcd certain new and usefulImprovements in Portable Dams for Regulating Channels and Banks, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description. y

The Object of my invention is to provide an improved sectional wing andportable dam for use in changing current-s in rivers and opening new anddeepening old channels therein and for washing out sand-bars, portionsof the dam being adapted for use to support and J build up caving banks,and for closing up offshoots or branches from the main stream. Theinvention consists in a dam formed of portable main and auxiliarysections having current-deiiecting plates to face upstream or at therequired position relative to the current, and provided with projectingprongs for hold on the river bottom or bed, and with aprons hinged atthe lower edges of the faceplates to prevent washin g out ordisplacement of, the dam-sections by under currents, the main andauxiliary sections being adapted to be placed in the river in Variouspositions and places for the improvement of navigation', all ashereinafter fully described and claimed. y

'Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings,forming part ofthis specification,

in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts inall the figures.

Figure l is a'front elevation of the lnain portable dam. Fig. 2 is aplan View thereof,- and Fig. 3 is an end view thereof. Fig. 4 is afrontelevation of one of the,smaller damsections. Fig. 5 is a plan viewthereof, and Fig. 6 is an end View thereof. Figs. 7, 8, 9, 10, and 1lare diagrams illustrating some of the uses of the portable dams.

The main-dam section A consists of a series of base or sill timbers a, acorresponding series of vertical front timbers b, let into the sideedges of the timbers d, or otherwise suitbe spiked or-otherwise secured.v Strong timber cleats d e are secured to the timbers a b, respectively,behind the braces c, to make the joints of the structure more firm. Imay use also a series of smaller braces f below or inside of the bracesc, which braces f may be let into the timbers ct, and have support atthe upper ends by a cleat g, fixed to the timbers b, as in Fig. 3.

I make the fronttimbersb gradually longer or deeper from the shore end hof the dam A to its outside or channel end t', so that the timbers abmay rest on the sloping bank or bed of a river or water-course for thewhole length of the dam, while the top 7' of the dam remains level, ornearly so, the sill-timbers a and the brace-timbers c increasinggradually in length toward the channel end 'i of the dam, so that thedam will be stronger and heavier the deeper it rests in the water forbetter resisting the pressure of the water on it.. (See Figs. l, v2, and3.)

I make the faces of the front timbers l) concave, said concavityincreasing in width and height with the dam A, and also in depth towardthe channel end t' of the dam, and on the concaved faces ofthe timbers lfasten securely the face-plate D, which may consist of closely-jointedtimbers or planks; but I prefer to make it of metal plates, as shown.

This face-plate D is the water-current deflector of the dam, and whenthe dam is set the plate D faces upstream at a greater or less angle tothe current, as hereinafter more fully explained.

To the lower edge of the deflecting-plate D, I hinge at k the apron E,which swings down with its lower orA free edge close upon the river-bed,and serves to prevent the water-currents from cutting under the dam A,so that the hold on the bottom which the dam has by its prongs B O,which are or may be the downwardly-projecting ends of the timbers b c,will not be loosened by a rush of water, which, if allowed, would tendto Wash-away the bed or-bottom from the prongs and shift the dam fromitsproper place. The force of the water-current against the damface-plate carries the dam down to the river-bed.

I make the 'smaller or auxiliary dams A (shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6)with sill-timbers ICO ', vertical front timbers Z1', and-inclined of thesmall dam being substantially the same as regards its timbers to that ofthe large dam A, except that the small dam has a like width and depthfor its whole length, and that the face of the vertical timbers b' isrecessed, so as to support a face-plate or current-deiiector D', havinga double curve vertically, or made concave in the lower part, as at d2,and conveXed at the upper part, as at d3, so that the water-currentswill easily iiow along it and pass over it at high water. The small damsA' have also theapron E', hinged at the lower part at k', to fall to theriver-bed and prevent displacement of the dams, as described above, forthe dam A.

Referring now to the diagrams, Fig. 7 shows the use of the dams A A' inchanging the current or course of a river or watercourse, the main-damsection A being placed at a suitable angle across the river, and theauxiliary dams A' ranging-as many as required-` rom the shore end h ofdam A upstream a suitable distance, and it may be close to the bank, asat l; andanother line or series ot' dams A will range from the oppositeend t' of dam A downstream, and more or less in the line or" the oldcourse or channel m of the river, so that the current will be led to andimpinge forcibly on the main dam, and be deiiected against the oppositebank, as at n, to cut the new channel, and the sedimentary deposits williiow over the small dams A and lodge behind them, as at 0, to form newland.

In Fig. 8 a couple of main dams A A are shown extending from theopposite banks of the river, so as to lead the water-currents to thecenter for deepening the channel, and the small ldams A A' may range intwo lines or series from the ends of the dams A A backward downstream,as shown.

In Fig. 9 a main dam A is laid so as to drect the water-currents againsta sand-bar p, for washing it away, and the dam is to be shifted inposition, as required, to wash away the entire bar.

In Fig. l() I show a series of small dams A' placed across the mouth ofa chute or branch stream q, so that the sedimentary deposits will iowover the dams and fill up the mouth of the branch, as at r.

In Fig. 1l a series of small dams A' are set along a caving bank s ot'the river to protect the bank from the current and hold the sedimentarydeposits washed over and behind the dams to make the bank firm andsolid.

It will be understood that more than one of the main dams may be usedaligned with each other to carry the dam to any required length by theaid of the smaller dams.

It is evident that these portable dams may be removed to any point alonga river or water-course for use in various ways', as above described,for promoting safe navigation.

Having thus described myinvention,whatI claim as new, and desire tosecure by Lett-ers Patent, is-

l. A portable dam for regulating the banks and channels of rivers orwater-courses, consisting ot a current-deflectingv main-dam section A,having a concaved face, and of auxiliary-dam sections A', withconcavo-convex faces placed adjacent to the main section, substantiallyas shown and described.

2. In a portable dam, the main and auxiliary dam sections A A', havingprojecting prongs to fasten themselves to the river-bed, substantiallyas shown and described.

3. A portable dam consisting of main and auxiliary sect-ions havingprojecting bottom prongs to fasten themselves to the river-bed andaprons hinged at the lower face port-ions of the sections, substantiallyas shown and described.

4. The main-dam section A, made with a concave currentdefiecting face D,bottom prongs B C, and hinged apron E, substantially as shown anddescribed.

5. The main-dam section A, made increasing in depth from the shoreto thechannel end and with a concaved current-deflecting face D, bottom prongsB C, and hinged apron E, substantially as shown and described.

6. The auxiliary-dam sections A', made of like width and heightthroughout and provided with a concavoeconvex current-defiecting face,and hinged aprons E below said.

face, substantially as shown and described.

7. The dam-sections constructed with silltimbers a, vertical timbers b,and brace-timbers c, said timbers b c project-ing to form the prongs l5C, substantially as shown and described.

S. A portable dam for regulating the banks and channels of rivers orwater-courses, consisting of a main-dam section A, placed at an angle tothe current and havingaconcave current-defiecting face D, an apron E,hinged below said face, the section A increasing in depth from the shoreto the channel end, and one or more series of auxiliary dams A', alsoprovided with hinged aprons E' and having concavo-convexc'urrent-deilecting faces, the sections A A' having projecting prongsfor hold on the river-bed and placed relatively with each other,substantially as shown and described.

GUSTAV HERMAN LOMMER. lVitnesses:

M. J. l-IowLEY, JOHN E. ENGLISH.

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